A Grip on Sports: On our to-do list? Commiserate with the Boston folks for the long title drought – or not
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s funny how one day the to-do list can be non-existent. And a day or two later it is longer than the inseam of your suit coat. You know, the one that needs to be stitched up under the left arm? We have the latter type of list waiting for us today. And the former staring us straight in the face this morning.
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• As we wonder how to fill this space, we guess we could spend a bunch of time and effort praising the Boston Celtics for winning their 18th NBA title. For ending the city’s long and debilitating title drought. For honing our sarcasm skills.
But, honestly, we’re not big fans of Boston sports teams. Oh, the Bruins are OK. Bobby Orr was something back in the day. Cam Neely too. Plus, they feel a little snake-bit recently. But the rest of the area’s franchises? Ha.
The Red Sox were lovable between the Bambino’s curse and the turn of the century. But since then, they’ve become insufferable. The Patriots? Their insufferability-quotient started long before then and has been off the charts for a couple decades, reaching its zenith either on Feb. 1, 2015 or Feb. 5, 2017. We’re not sure which. We only know only one other pro franchise has come close to the Pats’ haughtiness.
OK, we forgot about the Yankees. Our bad. But the Celtics, they are right up there. Acting as if most of their titles didn’t happen before disco music was big. They now have two this century, which is worth something. We guess. Heck, they are only a couple behind the San Antonio and Golden State in that regard.
We admit it. We’re a bit bitter. All the title series losses of our childhood team to the NBA’s anointed saviors still sting. But even if those Laker failures didn’t exist, the wailing and gnashing of teeth that has emanated from Boston recently – the city went more than five years without a pro title – made it seem as if the entire sports community had been wandering in the desert for decades.
How sad. There are a lot of communities in which five years would seem like a blink of an eye. Heck, an entire country hasn’t had a championship in the sport it invented, hockey, in more than three decades. It’s hard to have any sympathy for a place that has held 12 championship parades since Y2K was all the rage because there has been an almost 2,000-day gap since the last one.
Well, Boston gets to hold another one soon. Maybe the next drought could be, we don’t know, 16 years or something. Then hit us up.
• Speaking of titles, it sure seems as if Mark Few and Gonzaga is putting together a roster that can challenge for an NCAA one next spring.
The latest addition? That would be 17-year-old, 7-foot center Ismaila Diagne, a Senegal-born player who has been honing his skills in Spain since 2020. It’s highly possible Diagne is headed to Spokane to continue his basketball education for a year before taking center stage. After all, the Zags have three bigs on the roster – Graham Ike (fixed from earlier), Ben Gregg and Braden Huff – who played quite a bit last season. Then again, when competing at the highest level, one can never have too much of an inside presence.
All we know for sure is the Bulldogs’ roster enters summer with as much depth as it’s had since, well, maybe ever. After losing only one key player, Anton Watson, from last season’s Sweet 16 squad, Gonzaga has added a handful of transfers, most of whom are more-than-ready to compete for playing time.
• The most-important offensive recruit in a football class is the quarterback. Get the right one and his presence, as well as persuasive abilities, can lead to other key components signing on.
Washington State seems to have settled on the quarterback for its 2025 class, hosting Southern California junior Steele Pizzella last weekend and happily accepting the athletic QB’s public announcement Monday he’s headed back after graduation.
The Cougars, who are in the midst of a two-year search for a Power 5 future, seems to be doing just fine in the football recruiting department, having already attracted three skill-position players from California.
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WSU: Yes, we have a story to link on Pizzella. It comes from Greg Woods and shares all the pertinent information about the fast (10.64 in the 100-meters) and accurate-throwing (60% completions for Notre Dame High last season) quarterback. … Cougar decathlete Lee Walburn, who finished seventh in the event at the NCAA championships, will get a chance to make the U.S. Olympic team at the trials in Eugene that begin Friday. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano had a mailbag Monday that contained questions about WSU and Oregon State – as well as Disneyland. … Washington welcomed 23 football players who recently enrolled for summer classes. … The football numbers stories continue in the Oregonian, as we are at No. 75 from Oregon and Oregon State. … How will the four Big 12 arrivals from out west do this football season? … USC is ready to spend whatever it must to stay among the chosen few in college athletics. … The Oregon men’s basketball roster still has some holes to fill. … Utah moved quickly to fill the hole on its staff. … The Arizona women are still looking to Europe for key players. … Wonder how the secondary sports will be impacted by the double play of NIL and transfer portals? Some in the softball arena are really worried about the future. … Arizona added a pitcher recently. … Finally, this lawsuit story made us chuckle. Les Miles is suing LSU, not for money. He wants the 37 games he won, vacated recently because the school admitted to NCAA violations, to be added back to his career record. Why? Without them, he’s not eligible to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
Gonzaga: Theo Lawson has a story on Diagne. He wrote in the airport yesterday as he flew back to Spokane in time to attend an annual S-R event. What a trooper. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Randy Bennett isn’t going to change how he goes about building the Saint Mary’s roster despite the changes in college athletics.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, an Idaho State men’s basketball player is still focusing on the student part of the seemingly devalued label student/athlete.
Indians: Winning a league title, even in baseball’s minor leagues, is something worth savoring. For Jake Snider, who has been plying his trade for six years, the chance to help Spokane win the Northwest League crown this season is a welcome occurrence. Dave Nichols has more on the left-handed hitter who joined the Indians a few weeks back. … Spokane welcomes in Eugene tonight to start a six-game series. The Indians have already clinched the first-half title.
Mariners: The M’s are in Cleveland for tonight’s opener (3:40, Root) of a key three-game series with the A.L. Central leading Guardians. … Yes, it is OK to start thinking, and worrying, about what’s ahead. … At some point in the not-too-distant future, offseason acquisition Gregory Santos should be healthy enough to join the bullpen…. Seattle is up to sixth in this MLB power ranking.
Seahawks: There is a new voice on the offensive line. … We can pass along some thoughts about the offseason from The Athletic.
Sounders: Just where is the franchise headed as it hits the 50-year mark?
Kraken: It won’t be easy, but superstar Connor McDavid is making sure Edmonton makes it as tough as possible on the Panthers to put away the Stanley Cup. Florida still has a 3-1 lead headed into tonight’s game (5, ABC) in the Miami area.
Sonics: Yes, Boston won another title. With a 106-88 blowout of Dallas in Game Five on Monday night. … Former California star Jaylen Brown was name MVP of the series, though he and Jayson Tatum shared the catalyst role.
Golf: Well, if you were ready to embrace Bryson DeChambeau after his U.S, Open victory, we offer up this Sally Jenkins’ counterpoint to what she sees as phony posturing.
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• We had a bit too much fun yesterday. Did a bit too much as well. We’re paying a bit of a price this morning. Thought a lot the past couple hours about how nice it would be to finish this chore and take it easy. Then we realized how long the to-do list actually was. Crikey. Which serves as an homage to the late Steve Irwin and, with just a couple different letters subbed in, also describes our mood. Until later …